This blog is an ongoing record of traveling world with bamboo bike and starting / growing up social enterprise,"Bamboo Samurai". Bamboo Samurai will make bamboo bike and attractive bamboo products by using only Japanese bamboo. I will contribute to develop craftsmanship, coexist with bamboo forests in Japan and to build ecological world all over the world. I am loving Nature, biking, and bamboo. Please keep supporting Bamboo Samurai! Bamboo Samurai Founder,Takashi

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December 6, 2010

I woke at 5:15a.m. Marvin already woke up and read newspaper. We went to restaurant near his house, we both ordered "Dutch egg and sausage with coffee, it was big breakfast, maybe 5 or 6 eggs was used in this breakfast and with some sausages. Tasted good. While eating he gave me an interesting story about his bike trip. One of them, I show you.

"How many do you carry spare tire" said Marvin,
I replied, "no, I do not carry tire".
"OK, so if the tire was cut off, or torn, how do you continue your trip?", Marvin.
Me, "ummm,,, I will shout, please help me!"
Marvin replied, "you need not do that, there are no problem. You will be able to continue your trip by using only some bills."
Me, "huh?"
Marvin continued, "you can put bills on the place which is torn, it works well, no problem"
Me, "Wow! George Washington helps cyclists even now."

Marvin is always great cyclist, had 24,000miles traveled in United States, he has many experiences, knowledge. We said bye-bye to Marvin, I looked around and waved hands to Marvin twice times, Marvin stood there, thank you so much, Marvin! Sayo-nara,Mata-Aimasyo! (Don't say good bye, see you again!)

We started biking 8:00a.m. from Clay. We saw beautiful morning, we stopped for a while and felt the breath of Nature in PA. We passed Valley Forge, Conshohocken, schuylkill river bike trail, today was fun-ride to us, except chilly.. At Valley Forge, I dropped a restaurant, ate sandwich, talked to the owner of the shop, some people about bamboo bike. The owner said with laughing, "Are you crazy? Shorts! I feel cold when I looked at you." Me, replied, "Oh, I am sorry."

Passing Schylkill river bike trail, it was good trail to us, with seeing beautiful river on the right side.
Despite good trail I lost way...Oops... maybe because of my poor sense of direction. Relying on compass we moved and I found a gentleman who was jogging and asked the direction, he was so kind that he showed me direction. and he used to accomplish cross country in United States from Philly to Seattle. Wow! Furthermore he got interested in bamboo bike. We felt happy to meet him, I gazed at sky and murmured "lucky, thank you bamboo." At that time bamboo bike2 said to me, "you should also say thank you to me.", Oops.."Oh, yeah, I am sorry". replied to bamboo bike2. And it was miracle, because we were very close to the destination of today at that time.
"Should I make bamboo compass to express respects for the God of bamboo? " I murmured again. Bamboo bike2 replied, "Of course!"

We arrived at Ellen,Warren and Suki's home in Philly at 4:00p.m. Suki is a pretty dog, named after "Sukiyaki". Suki means "like","feel familiar with", and "love" in English. I suki "Suki", we Japanese also suki "Sukiyaki".
They were tyo kind and knows well about Japan and different culture. After arriving, I and Warren went to coffee shop with Suki, drinking Chai tea, we talked. He runs own business, loves Japanese culture, good joke. Very pretty and smart person. I suki Warren.
In talking, his smart question sticked to my brain, "Why bamboo? Is there any other reason,..except ecological sound? Though I have been searching for the answer through this trip, I could not yet find the answer to his question now. I will make efforts, I will find the answer with bamboo bike, my dream, my entrepreneurship, my spirit of Bamboo Samurai.

Dinner was tyo special.
Before dinner we celebrated 3rd day of Hanukkah, Jewish festival of lights. I lighted on the candles with singing Jewish song. This was an wonderful experiences to me. Dinner was Japanese food, cooked by Ellen. Tukemono (Pickles), Rice, Sho-yu(Soy-souce), and Udon(Oh, I was happy!) Tyo Good. I forgot I stayed in United States for a while, I felt as if I was in Japan. Thank you so much,
Thank you so much, Ellen. A few days later, I left United States, I will be in Japan... now I miss both Japan and America. Bamboo bike may feel so. Tomorrow I will visit some historical places and downtown in Philly.

"Beer blog"
Heineken: I drank tonight. Tasted like Japanese beer, Kirin, Asahi, Sapporo. Maybe similar to Kirin, I felt. This beer is good for Japanese dinner eating in United States, I felt so.

Hello Mutt, thank you so much for posting. Wow! you already have known about "dollar bill trick", great knowledge occurred from great/ long bike experiences, I believe, tyo cool!. I was tyo surprised at hearing about this trick! Takashi